'Skating with the Stars' ousts Sean Young and partner Denis Petukhov

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 11/30/2010

Skating with the Stars eliminated film actress Sean Young and professional partner Denis Petukhov during Monday night's live broadcast on ABC.

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Young and Petukhov became the first couple ousted from the competition based on the combined Skating with the Stars judges' scores they received during the show's first two episodes and the home viewer votes which were cast following last Monday night's premiere.

"I thank Denis so much for being the best trainer and giving me the greatest experience of my life... an experience that I'll never be able to have again. This was a very unique experience," Young said after her elimination.

Young and Petukhov had finished in fourth place on Monday night's judging final leaderboard, which combined their judges' scores from both weeks, after they received 64 out of 120 possible points from Skating with the Stars judges Johnny Weir, Laurieann Gibson and Dick Button.

The skaters performed an ice dance last week and a tango or swing ice dance this week, with Week 1 requiring the pairs to feature a one-foot assisted guide and a pair spin and Week 2 requiring a step sequence and a dance lift.

Each dance was eligible to receive up to 60 possible points from the judges -- 30 points for technical merit and an additional 30 points for artistic impression.

Young and Petukhov earned 34 points for their ice dance last week after receiving 16 out of 30 possible points for their technical score and 18 points for their artistic impression. They then earned an additional 30 points for their Monday night swing routine after receiving 12 out of 30 possible points for their technique and 18 points for their artistry.

Although none of the skating pairs fell last week, Young and Petukhov were one of the two pairs to fall during their swing ice dance Monday night, which the judges noted contributed to their overall low score.

"Don't worry about falling. There isn't an Olympic champion in history that hasn't had a splatfest more than once," Button told Young after her Monday night performance.

"It was so unfortunate that you fell Sean, because I gotta tell you, you came out really strong... unfortunately, I think my scores will reflect the fall but I just want to encourage you and say that your start was amazing," Gibson added.

Rocker Vince Neil and partner Jennifer Wester were the other couple still in danger of elimination prior to Young and Petukhov's ouster. The pair had finished at the bottom of the judges' leaderboard in sixth and last place after they received a combined score of 58 out of 120 possible points -- earning 28 points last week and an additional 30 points for their tango ice dance this week.

However Neil and Wester apparently fared better in the home viewer voting, resulting in a mild upset when Skating with the Stars host Vernon Kay announced Young and Petukhov's elimination.

Actress Rebecca Budig and partner Fred Palascak topped the leaderboard in first place after their performances from both weeks earned them a total of 89 points. They earned 45 points for their Week 1 ice dance and received 44 points for their Monday night tango routine.

Disney Channel star Brandon Mychal Smith and partner Keauna McLaughlin had finished in second place with a total of 85 points on the leaderboard after receiving 36 points last week and an additional 49 points for their tango performance this week.

Olympic gold-medal skier Jonny Moseley and partner Brooke Castile had received 40 points from the judges after last week's performance but earned 44 additional points for their swing ice dance this week -- giving them a combined score of 84 points that left them in third place on the judges' leaderboard.

The Real Housewives of New York City and Bethenny's Getting Married? star Bethenny Frankel and partner Ethan Burgess landed close to the bottom of the judging leaderboard in fifth place after they received a total of 62 points. They earned 29 points last week and an additional 33 points this week for their swing routine.